Sunday, December 1, 2013

Grant Park Turkey Trot

I'm pretty Meh about the holiday season, couple that with being absolutely burnt out from work the past few months and you get someone who rolls their eyes at all the"festive" fakeness going on.
Tuesday I left work late and decided to walk home. I saw a huge crowd and decided to go where all the people were, which would usually end up in the middle of some protest. But instead, I saw the Daley Plaza Christmas tree all lit up.

I must have missed the lighting of it by 15 minutes, but it was just beautiful. And put a huge smile on my face.

Thursday morning I took the CB dog out for a run and we crashed the staging area for the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade. I really enjoyed walking around seeing all the floats and mini horses, marching bands and Budweiser Clydesdales.

I'm just so thankful I didnt have to participate in marching band here in Chicago when the feels like Thursday morning was "butt arse freezing cold." Although wearing those hideous polyester suits in the steamy Florida temps was no bueno either when I was in high school.

Saturday morning was the Grant Park Turkey Trot. I ran the race last year with my Tribu and had a blast while being frozen to the bone.
I decided to wake up early & be the first in line for packet pickup and then walk back to my place and chill before the race. Perks of a race within a half mile of your apartment.

CB and I ran over to pickup early and he was so sad he couldn't run the race with me.
The sunrise on the buildings was beautiful.

After waiting at home for an hour L and I walked back over to the start of the race and I warmed up a bit.
My only goal for this race was to have fun (and beat my time from last year)
After warming up I hopped into the front of the very narrow start corral and ran into Ken who got yet another PR this year.So freaking inspiring!
I ended up tucking in a few rows behind the start line since I knew from last year it wasn't a very deep competitive field.But also didn't want to get run over by the speedsters.

Mile 1: 6:45, felt amazing and like I could have held the pace for a while.Mile 2: some headwinds, starting to slow down.Breathing getting labored due to the cold+ wind.

Mile 3: slowing down a bit more but feeling great.

Mile 3.1: Kicking it in hard. Too much kick left. haha

I could have pushed a bit more but am happy to beat last years time by almost 3 minutes. I had a lot of fun and right now that's the most important thing for me. (and staying injury free!)

Everyone got a medal for finishing which is a nice perk considering this was probably many of the participant's 1st races ever. I read somewhere Thanksgiving is the busiest road race day of the year. If a medal gets people motivated to be healthy, that's wonderful.

I love this race because it's pretty well organized and in my usual stomping grounds on the lakefront which I know all the nuances and cracks of the sidewalks so very well. Being a stones throw from my place doesn't hurt either.

What's next? Probably the Rudolph Ramble on December 15 if the weather isn't too FUBAR. I'm not a huge fan of running in extreme cold + wind. Breathing becomes very labored and I get bloody nose- sinus issues. I could care less about earning any "hardcore badge" for running outside when its "feels like less than 20 degrees." It's just not my jam. Maybe a Balaclava would help? But my hands still feel like someone smashed them in a car door.

What's really next? Continuing to focus on my health & well being, Portuguese, possibly starting to study for the CPA *Gasp*, and making healthy foods without leftovers for 2 people. And loads of playtime with the CB Dog. And drinking loads of delicious craft beer. DUH.
- xaar

10 comments:

Congrats on the 1st AG, course PR and your second best 5k ever! Maybe if the winds weren't blowing as hard for miles 2 & 3 you could have gotten closer to your PR. Oh well, most importantly you had a good time. I always seem to have more kick left in 5ks as well. This leads, me believe that if I started my kick earlier, I would do better. Anyway, regarding cold hands: I wear liner gloves under mountain hiking type mittens (that have a liner in them as well). My hands are never cold when I run in all temps. I may look a little goofy with these big mittens on, but most importantly my hands are toasty!

How many pairs of gloves do you wear? I have some thinner running gloves, but also have some "wind mitts" that I wear over them when it's really chilly. It helps a lot! This is what I have: http://www.brooksrunning.com/Utopia-2-in-1-Mitten/280169,default,pd.html. And then I can always take off (and carry) the wind mitt if I get too warm.

Also, I find this time of year, I HAVE to have my neck warm. Either a mock-neck top/jacket, or a neck wamer (that I can pull up to cover my mouth/nose if necessary). I have a couple tops with built-in neck warmers that can be pulled up over my face, and I also have this in pink: http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13218779. I wear it so the printed part (which is a pretty thin material) is on top so I can pull that over my face, and the black fleecy part stays around my neck.

Woo hoo! Congrats on 1st AG and 6th woman overall! Dayum! That means a lot for a Chicago race! And you were so close to your PR from a few weeks ago. Can you believe how amazing this year has been?! You are rocking it.

This race sounds fab for you, being so close to home. And I agree that is cool they offer a 5K participation medal. I know a lot of people who want to run shorter races, but want a medal too.

I think a balaclava/neck gaiter is KEY for running in the winter. That is probably what keeps me outdoors, year round. And I just got a schweet new orange one. LOL. But, the hands are hard to figure out. Last year, I ran with ski gloves on a few times, because I was worried about the digits. If you don't like to deal with all that though, you don't need to ;)

I am interested in your thoughts on "festive" fakeness. I am trying to think if I know anyone who is being fake festive. A lot of people I know are either really in to it, okay with it, or ready for the season to be over. I can think of some who act nice because of the time of year but are shits the rest of the year. Ha. Is that what you mean? :)

Wahoooooo! I saw your pic over the weekend and yelped out in excitement :) Love those somewhat unexpected PRs. Sometimes I think they're just camping out inside us just waiting for when we least expect it. Hope you had a relaxing holiday!

Introduction

Greetings! I'm Xaarlin, and live in Chicago with my husband and border collie dog, CB. I am an accountant by day and enjoy running, discovering new craft beers, learning Portuguese, eating/cooking delicious foods and spending time with my family when off the clock. I use this space to talk about life, running, and anything else that interests me. Mikkeller Run Club Chicago Captain. Untappd:Xaarlin